Many people access Internet content and Web Services from a wireless communication device (e.g., a cellular telephone or PDA) so that they are not restricted to a personal computer with an Internet connection. Most wireless communication devices retrieve Internet content and Web Services in one of two different ways: use of a Web browser or use of a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) application.
High power wireless communication devices often include a Web browser (e.g., Windows® Explorer) so that information can be retrieved from an Internet site on the device just as if the user was at a personal computer. One problem with the use of Web browsers on wireless devices, though, is that the devices require a lot of processing power and bandwidth to handle and convert the large amount of data exchanged so as to be compatible with the Internet site and the wireless device.
In order to overcome processing and network bandwidth restraints posed by a Web browser, many wireless communication devices retrieve Internet content and Web Services using an application that follows the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). WAP applications allow devices to connect to a Web server, but require less processing power and use less network bandwidth than a typical Web browser. For example, the social networking site MySpace® currently provides a Web Services proxy that can be connected to through the use of a WAP application in order for a user of a wireless communication device to connect to MySpace®.
A Web Services proxy may be updated to add new features for Web applications and/or to fix problems. One problem, though, with current WAP applications is that they become useless if the associated Web Services proxy is updated. That is, the WAP application is hard coded so as to be compatible with the previous version of the Web Services proxy. Hence, when the Web Service proxy is updated the WAP application may be unable to connect to the new version of the Web Services proxy. As a result, the WAP application on a device must typically be updated when a Web Services proxy is updated.
Updating every WAP application (e.g., updating every cellular telephone of a Cellular Telephone Service Provider) can be very costly and consume large portions of network bandwidth. In addition, device applications implemented through WAP applications can require multiple requests from the device to the Web Services proxy, tying up valuable bandwidth. Furthermore, the communication protocol employed to allow a WAP application and a Web Services proxy to communicate is an inefficient (“chatty”) format based on the exchange of data through Extensible Markup Language (“XML”) documents (e.g., using the Simple Object Access Protocol (“SOAP”))
One exemplary Web Service is that provided by a social networking site. A “social network” is a map of the relationships between individuals, indicating the ways in which they are connected through various social familiarities ranging from casual acquaintance to close familial bonds. Social networking is the practice of expanding and/or maintaining those relationships within the map. For example, in business, businessmen will refer friends to other businessmen (e.g., exchanging business cards). In casual life, persons will attend parties of a friend in order to connect and build relationships with the friend's friends.
Within the last ten years, social networking through the Internet has become popular. A variety of services are provided by social networking sites which allow users to communicate and exchange information including, for example, Instant Messaging, E-Mail messaging, Message Boards, photo sharing services, etc. Recently, social networking sites such as MySpace®, LinkedIn®, and Yahoo!® Local have become a popular choice for social networking. To improve social networking, MySpace® includes, for example, personal Web pages for each user including profiles, blogs, pictures, videos, a “shoutbox,” instant messaging, a list of “friends” (other users on the MySpace® network that allow each other communications between the two users), e-mail capabilities, bulletin boards, and calendars. To use the social networking services, a user logs into the service's website (e.g., MySpace.com) from his or her personal computer. Mobile devices currently provide access to social networking sites through a Web browser or WAP application.